The aim of this research was to explore the learning processes of migrants in transnational occupational spaces. In this study, transnational occupational space was defined as a socially constructed space based on the border-crossing occupational ties and activities of people who work or have worked in different nation-states. In this research, the focus was specifically on the transnational, work-related learning processes of people migrating between Estonia and Finland.

The theoretical framework related to situated learning theories (for example, Lave and Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998), social practice theory (Holland and Lave 2009) and research on migrant transnationalism. Transnational migration studies have explored how migrants engage in transnational social fields, spaces, or circuits embedded in at least two societies across national borders (for example, Glick Schiller, Basch, Szanton Blanc 1992; Vertovec 2009). The framework developed by Faist (2000) and Pitkänen et al. (2012) was applied in this research to analyse the structure of transnational occupational space. While there is a large body of research on transnational networks and border-crossing activities of migrants, there are only few studies examining migrants’ learning experiences in transnational settings. So far only few studies have been presented exploring specifically transnational occupational or professional spaces although there are several studies dealing with international labour migration and international transfer of occupational knowledge.

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